The following is a list of notable performers of rock and roll music or rock music, and others directly associated with the music as producers, songwriters or in other closely related roles, who have died in the 2000s. The list gives their date, cause and location of death, and their age.
Rock music developed from the rock and roll music that emerged during the 1950s, and includes a diverse range of subgenres. The terms "rock and roll" and "rock" each have a variety of definitions, some narrow and some wider. In determining criteria for inclusion, this list uses as its basis reliable sources listing "rock deaths" or "deaths in rock and roll", as well as such sources as the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
2000 Name Age Date Location Cause of death Nat Adderley Cannonball Adderley's brother 68 January 2, 2000 Lakeland, Florida, U.S. Complications from diabetes Harmonica Fats 72 January 3, 2000 Los Angeles, California, U.S. Unknown Ida Goodson 90 January 5, 2000 Pensacola, Florida, U.S. Unknown Wade Walton 76 January 10, 2000 St. Louis, Missouri, U.S. Unknown Richard "Dimples" Fields 57 January 12, 2000 Novato, California, U.S. Stroke Annie Palmen 73 January 15, 2000 Beverwijk, Netherlands Long illness of an undisclosed nature Gene Harris 66 January 16, 2000 Boise, Idaho, U.S. Kidney failure Dub Jones The Coasters 71 January 16, 2000 Long Beach, California, U.S. Diabetes Josh Clayton-Felt School of Fish 32 January 19, 2000 Los Angeles, California, U.S. Testicular cancer Friedrich Gulda 69 January 27, 2000 Steinbach am Attersee, Austria Alla Rakha 80 February 3, 2000 South Mumbai, India Doris Coley The Shirelles 58 February 4, 2000 Sacramento, California, U.S. Breast cancer Steve Waller Manfred Mann's Earth Band 48 February 6, 2000 Stroud, Gloucestershire, England Liver problems Dave Peverett Foghat 56 February 7, 2000 Orlando, Florida, U.S. Renal cancer Big Pun 28 February 7, 2000 White Plains, New York, U.S. Heart attack Screamin' Jay Hawkins 70 February 12, 2000 Neuilly-sur-Seine, France Complications following surgery concerning aneurysm Andy Lewis The Whitlams 33 February 12, 2000 Sydney, Australia Suicide Oliver 54 February 12, 2000 Shreveport, Louisiana, U.S. Lymphatic cancer Olgita DeCastro The DeCastro Sisters 68 February 14, 2000 Las Vegas, Nevada, U.S. Asthma William "Wee Gee" Howard The Dramatics 49 February 22, 2000 Bronxville, Westchester County, New York, U.S. Ofra Haza 42 February 23, 2000 Ramat Gan, Israel AIDS-related pneumonia Dennis Danell Social Distortion 38 February 29, 2000 Costa Mesa, California, U.S. Brain aneurysm Pee Wee King 86 March 7, 2000 Louisville, Kentucky, U.S. Heart attack Charles Gray 71 March 7, 2000 London, England Cancer Tommy Collins 69 March 14, 2000 Ashland City, Tennessee, United States Bles Bridges South African singer 53 March 24, 2000 Bloemhof, South Africa Car accident Ian Dury Ian Dury and the Blockheads 57 March 27, 2000 Upminster, London, England Colon cancer Adrian Fisher Sparks 47 March 31, 2000 Ko Samui, Thailand Myocardial infarction Joe Rock Manager and producer for The Skyliners 63 April 4, 2000 Nashville, Tennessee, United States Complications from quadruple bypass heart surgery Gene Pearson The Cleftones 64 April 6, 2000 Kingston, Jamaica Lung cancer Richard Trice 82 April 6, 2000 Burnsville, North Carolina, U.S. Heinz Burt The Tornados 57 April 7, 2000 Southampton, England Motor neurone disease and stroke Cleveland Horne The Fantastic Four 57 April 13, 2000 Detroit, Michigan, United States Heart attack Robert Mosese The Radios 30 April 20, 2000 Antwerp, Belgium Complications from a brain tumor Neal Matthews Jr. The Jordanaires 70 April 21, 2000 Brentwood, Tennessee, U.S. Heart attack Barkin' Bill Smith 71 April 24, 2000 Chicago, Illinois, U.S. Pancreatic cancer Vicki Sue Robinson 45 April 27, 2000 Wilton, Connecticut, U.S. Cancer Marjorie Noël 54 April 30, 2000 Cavaillon, France Cerebral hemorrhage Bobbi Martin 60 May 2, 2000 Baltimore, Maryland, U.S. Cancer Dédé Fortin Les Colocs 37 May 8, 2000 Montreal, Quebec, Canada Suicide Geoff Goddard 62 May 15, 2000 England, U.K. Heart attack Joe Jaramillo Cannibal & the Headhunters 52 May 24, 2000 Los Angeles, California, United States Cirrhosis of the liver Tex BenekeGlenn Miller Orchestra 86 May 30, 2000 Costa Mesa, California, United States Johnnie Taylor 66 May 31, 2000 Dallas, Texas, U.S. Heart attack Tito Puente 77 June 1, 2000 New York City, New York, U.S. Heart attack Ralph Jones Bill Haley & His Comets 78 June 1, 2000 Chester, Pennsylvania, U.S. Unknown Bruno Martino Italian singer and composer74June 12, 2000Rome, ItalyHeart attack Paul Griffin 62 June 14, 2000 New York City, New York, U.S. Complications from diabetes Hattie Littles 63 June 15, 2000 Flint, Michigan, U.S. Heart attack Clive Westlake 67 June 17, 2000 Pegram, Tennessee, U.S. Unknown Benediktas Gadeikis Lithuanian singer 57 June 21, 2000 Vilnius, Lithuania Jerome Richardson 79 June 23, 2000 Englewood, New Jersey, U.S. Rodrigo Bueno 27 June 24, 2000 Berazategui, Argentina Traffic collision Chuck Briggs U.S. Bombs 40 July 4, 2000 Southern California, United States Complications from drug abuse Yuri Klinskikh Sektor Gaza 35 July 4, 2000 Voronezh, Russia Heart failure Michael Hartman Guitarist for David Lee Roth and Jeff Beck 24 July 6, 2000 Marion, Indiana, United States Cystic fibrosis Paul Young Mike + The Mechanics, Sad Café 53 July 15, 2000 Hale, Altrincham, England Heart attack Johnny Duncan 67 July 15, 2000 Taree, New South Wales, Australia Cancer Ronn Goedert White Witch 49 July 16, 2000 Tampa, Hillsborough County, Florida, U.S. Cancer Jerome Smith KC and the Sunshine Band 47 July 28, 2000 Miami, Florida, U.S. Crushed by a bulldozer Anthony "Gorps" Fischer Pfuri, Gorps and Kniri 52 to 53 July 31, 2000 Basel, Switzerland Stroke Talal Maddah 60 August 11, 2000 Abha, Saudi Arabia Heart attack while performing Nazia Hassan 35 August 13, 2000 London, England Lung cancer Alan Caddy 60 August 16, 2000 London, England Complications due to alcoholism Jack Nitzsche Crazy Horse, The Rolling Stones 63 August 25, 2000 Los Angeles, California, U.S. Cardiac arrest Allen Woody The Allman Brothers Band, Gov't Mule 44 August 26, 2000 Queens, New York, U.S. Heroin overdose Sean Patrick McCabe Ink & Dagger 27 August 28, 2000 Indiana, U.S. Asphyxiation Saunders King 91 August 31, 2000 San Rafael, California, U.S. Unknown David Brown Santana 53 September 4, 2000 Los Angeles, California , U.S. Liver and kidney failureLuca Abort Italian singer, exponent of the Turin nihilism of the 80s, famous for having been the frontman of the hardcore punk group Nerorgasmo from 1983 to 198736September 8, 2000Turin, ItalyHeroin overdose "Sweet James" Epps Lead singer of The Fantastic Four 63 September 11, 2000 Detroit, Michigan, United States Heart attack Stanley Turrentine 66 September 12, 2000 New York City, New York, U.S. Stroke Ian "Spike" Spice Drummer for Breathe 34 September 24, 2000 Thailand Undisclosed cause; Possible car crash Baden Powell 63 September 26, 2000 Rio de Janeiro, Brazil Benjamin Orr The Cars 53 October 3, 2000 Atlanta, Georgia, U.S. Pancreatic cancer Britt Woodman 80 October 13, 2000 Hawthorne, California, U.S. Respiratory failure Joachim Nielsen Jokke & Valentinerne 36 October 17, 2000 Oslo, Norway Heroin overdose Julie London 74 October 18, 2000 Los Angeles, California, U.S. Stroke and cardiac arrest Little Mack Simmons 67 October 24, 2000 Chicago, Illinois, U.S. Colon cancer Laila Kinnunen First Finnish representative at the Eurovision Song Contest 60 October 26, 2000 Heinävesi, Finland Slipped and broke her neck Winston Grennan 56 October 27, 2000 Nantucket, Massachusetts, U.S. Cancer Jimmie Davis 101 November 5, 2000 Baton Rouge, Louisiana, U.S. Stroke Jimmy Hill Ray Columbus and the Invaders 56 November 7, 2000 Auckland, New Zealand Heart ailment Dick Morrissey If 60 November 8, 2000 Deal, Kent, England Cancer Dave Wilson Drummer for The Cascades 64 November 14, 2000 Coeur d'Alene, Idaho Cancer Joe C. Kid Rock 26 November 16, 2000 Taylor, Michigan, U.S. Severe Celiac Disease Dušan Dejanović Ekatarina Velika 40 November 16, 2000 Belgrade, Serbia, FR Yugoslavia AIDS DJ Screw 29 November 16, 2000 Houston, Texas, U.S. Codeine overdose Bobby Sheen Bob B. Soxx & the Blue Jeans 59 November 23, 2000 Los Angeles, California, U.S. Pneumonia Frankie Smith The Monotones 62 November 26, 2000 Newark, New Jersey, United States Lung cancer Scott Smith Loverboy 45 November 30, 2000 San Francisco, California, U.S. Boating accident Hannu Karlsson Pihasoittajat 50 December ?, 2000 ?, Finland Unknown Hoyt Curtin Primary music director for the Hanna-Barbera animation studio from 1957 to 1986 78 December 3, 2000 Thousand Oaks, California, U.S. Accidental fall Joe Nanini Black Randy and the Metrosquad, Wall of Voodoo 45 December 4, 2000 Atlanta, Georgia, U.S. Brain Hemorrhage Velvert Turner 49 December 11, 2000 Brooklyn, New York, U.S. Pirkle Lee Moses The El Dorados 63 December 16, 2000 Chicago, Illinois, U.S. Cancer Kirsty MacColl 41 December 18, 2000 Cozumel, Quintana Roo, Mexico Hit by powerboat Rob Buck 10,000 Maniacs 42 December 19, 2000 Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, U.S. Acute liver disease Milt Hinton 90 December 19, 2000 Queens, New York, U.S. Unknown Pops Staples The Staple Singers 85 December 19, 2000 Chicago, Illinois, U.S. Injuries from a fall Matthew McQuater The Clovers 73 December 19, 2000 Dallas, Texas, U.S. Unknown Allan Smethurst 73 December 22, 2000 Grimsby, Lincolnshire, England Johnny Flamingo 66 December 24, 2000 Los Angeles, California, U.S. Cancer and emphysema Nick Massi The Four Seasons 73 December 24, 2000 West Orange, New Jersey, U.S. Cancer Jack McVea 86 December 27, 2000 Los Angeles, California, U.S. Unknown Magik Kaliber 44 22 December 28, 2000 Katowice, Silesian Voivodeship, Poland Suicide Willie D. Warren 76 December 30, 2000 Detroit, Michigan, U.S. Isaac Guillory 53 December 31, 2000 Newcastle, England
2001